Psychology 101: key terms

Cards

• Classical conditioning

  Learning to link a neutral signal with something that already triggers a response, like Pavlov's dogs salivating at a bell.

• Operant conditioning

  Learning from consequences: behavior that is rewarded happens more, behavior that is punished happens less.

• Cognitive dissonance

  The discomfort of holding two conflicting beliefs, or acting against a belief, which pushes people to change one of them.

• Confirmation bias

  Noticing and remembering evidence that supports what you already believe, and discounting evidence that doesn't.

• Working memory

  The small, short-lived mental workspace that holds information while you use it, about four chunks at a time.

• Neuroplasticity

  The brain's ability to rewire itself, forming and strengthening connections as you learn and practice.

• Placebo effect

  A real improvement caused by expecting a treatment to work, rather than by the treatment itself.

• Bystander effect

  The more people who witness an emergency, the less likely any one of them is to help.

• Intrinsic motivation

  Doing something because it is interesting or satisfying in itself, not for a reward.

• Heuristic

  A mental shortcut that makes decisions quick and usually good enough, but sometimes leads to predictable errors.

• Correlation vs. causation

  Two things rising and falling together doesn't mean one causes the other; a third factor may drive both.

• Spacing effect

  You remember more when study sessions are spread out over time than when they are crammed together.